Benedict's eyes were red and they were sore. He hadn't expected to shed tears but here he was. Each class seemed to be announcing "today is the last time we will be looking at soforth before your final exams." Always the last, and it just made it more obvious that this was a countdown to the more personal things. The last morning in dorms, the last feast in the great hall, the last time he breezed past his friends in the corridor late for classes. He told himself he was ready and for practical terms he was, but it was hard and there were certain things he was just going to miss to his very core.

"Oh.. sorry. I didnt expect to see anyone on this corridor." he said with a startle, quickly hiding his damp hankerchief and trying to compose himself. He had picked this odd route to class specifically to get a few minutes alone. "Everything ok with you?" he asked, deflecting from his own feelings disquiet.